5 Surefire Ways To Get Your Identity Stolen Online

If you are a frequent internet user, chances are good that you may be exposing your identity to many of the bad guys out there. Twenty percent of all people will become a victim of identity theft, and this number is growing. Although not all these victims are due to online activity, you can rest assured that your identity will remain safe as long as you don't make the following online mistakes.

Mistake #1 - Give out personal information to people you don't know.

This does not really need much explanation but the truth is, many people are very trusting and some people have the "it won't happen to me" attitude about identity theft. Most of these people fall in the above mentioned twenty percent. When online, TRUST NO-ONE! This may sound rather harsh, but it could save you a whole lot of trouble.

Mistake #2- Make online purchases on insecure websites.

This is one that many people who are new to purchasing online may not know about. When making purchases online and you are asked to enter your credit card information, look at the address bar of the webpage. It should start with "https" not "http". The letter "S" indicates a secure webpage. Many times there will also be an icon of a closed padlock as well.

Mistake #3- Respond to an email from your bank or financial institution by clicking the link in the email and entering your information.

Many high-tech cyber criminals develop phishing sites, which are websites made to look like that of a popular financial institution. They then send spam emails out making them look like they were sent from the financial institution. When you click the link in the email and enter your information, you just gave the bad guys access to your account. Banks typically will not ask for information by email. If you receive a similar email from your bank or financial institution, call them by phone or make sure you type the web address directly into your web browser instead of clicking on a link to get there.

Mistake #4- Select short easy to remember passwords or use the same password for every site.

But I can't remember a bunch of long passwords. We all use the same excuse. I am guilty myself. If a password is easy for you to remember then chances are it's also easy for a cyber-thief to crack. Make sure you select passwords with a combination of numbers, letters and symbols at least 8 -10 characters in length. Write down the usernames and passwords for each website on a piece of paper (do not save it on your computer). Store the piece of paper in a secure, hidden yet accessible place where you will not forget it.

Mistake #5- Let your computer protection software become outdated, or worse yet, don't have any at all.

Surfing the web without computer protection software is like swimming through shark infested water with raw meat attached to your body. Sooner or later you are going to get bit. By computer protection software, I am talking about antivirus, anti-spyware software and a firewall. Nowadays you absolutely must have all three. There is plenty of good free software out there that will do just fine but most of them will not update automatically. I recommend purchasing and maintaining an internet security system that includes all three of these programs. It is generally well worth the investment.

Now you know the five most common mistakes made by victims of online identity theft. To ensure that you do not become a victim yourself, be very careful about what information you release, only make purchases from secure websites and use long difficult passwords. Also, be very suspicious about strange emails and make sure to keep your computer protection software updated. Follow the above advice and you will significantly lower your chances of becoming part of the twenty percent.

Identity Theft Laws - Aiming To Punish The Executor Of The Crime

Identity theft, in which an individual assumes another person's identity to access resources and other benefits in that person's name, is a costly and devastating form of fraud, where the victim suffers the adverse consequences of a crime that they did not commit. ID theft laws have been passed to try to control the resources and the criminal who commits this type of crime.

In true ID theft cases victims do not realize their identity has been stolen until well after six months, or even years, after the crime has been committed. ID thefts occur mainly for obtaining financial credit, services, medical care and drugs by using another individual's identification details and assuming her/his role in daily life. A rising concern is that these ID theft crimes are committed using a child's identity which can be easily obtained. Some thieves are successful in buying a house or getting a driver's license using a child's identity.

The number of victims of ID theft is increasing by the day and in the United States alone; there are about 10 million victims of identity theft per year. This has resulted in the framing of identity theft laws that are aimed at punishing the ones committing the fraud.

The passing of these ID theft laws has elevated the offense from a mere misdemeanor to a felony. One reason for this is that the conviction rate for an ID thief, assuming they get caught, is around 6-7%. As per the identity theft laws, the maximum prison sentence runs for up to five years and any individual convicted of phishing is awarded an additional two years. There are penalties and additional prison terms for abuse of power, mail fraud, terrorism related offenses.

The individual state penalties for identity theft laws vary widely and almost always the crime is classified into a series of charges ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. The prison term and the penalties that are imposed by the identity theft laws are according to the jurisdiction of the state where the crime is committed.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 established the Red Flags Rule and contains provisions to aid in enforcement of the identity theft laws. The Red Flags Rule required by the Federal Trade Commission has set up regulations that would require businesses and organizations to design, develop, and implement procedures that would protect consumers from ID theft. The Red Flags Rule requires that the businesses have written documentation as to what acts or activity could constitute potential identity exposure, how the business can flag these activities, how they intend to respond and investigate such flagged alerts, and how they are going to maintain this program and evaluate its success. Violation of the Red Flags Rule can initiate class action and civil lawsuits against the organization. Creditors and financial institutions that have covered accounts were expected to implement the rule before a deadline of November of 2009.

There was also a clarification following the Red Flags Rule implementation that limited the type of creditor that must comply with the rule. The net result has been that the identity theft laws have gotten tougher. The Red Flags Rule has created a framework to identify ID theft and minimize the resources that can be accessed by Identity thieves. Through these current identity theft laws it makes it more difficult for a person trying to commit this crime.

6 Valuables That Don't Belong In Your Wallet

For easy portability, people tend to keep important things in their wallet. While it is an efficient way, it is nevertheless very risky. If supposed you are becoming the victim of theft, your wallet will be an easy pass for the thief to access all your personal data and wealth. Here are 6 valuables you'd better leave at home.

1. A generous amount of money

Carrying a huge amount of money will hurt when they get stolen. It is fine to bring a little extra money, however you are suggested to bring an amount that suits a day expense.

2. Personal Identification Numbers and Passwords

Some people can forget the PIN or passwords to their ATM, e-mail account, home alarm, or any passworded personal belongings. Writing (or listing) the passwords on a piece a paper and keeping them in the wallet or purse is the worst thing you could ever do. You will give the thief total access to your personal belongings. For better security measure, write them down digitally in your cell phone and protect it with password (hope you can remember this one).

3. A huge collection of credit card

Besides carrying a lot of money, people also tend to bring along all their credit cards inside the wallet. When they all get stolen, it will take some time to cancel all of them and get the replacements. Bring one or a couple of credit cards for daily transaction and leave the others safely at your home; that will be wiser.

4. USB devices

Sometimes people store confidential data or important presentation in USB devices and keep them in the wallet. Either meant for primary data or mere backup, losing them is a great pain. Irresponsible thieves may misuse the data and use them for your inconvenience.

5. Social Security card

The digits in your Social Security can mean a lot to you or the thief. With the identification number on the card, other people can apply for a loan, buy luxury items, or open a credit card. While they enjoy the items, it will be your loss to pay for their shopping spree.

6. Passport

When you are traveling abroad, it is a must to bring along your passport. However, carrying it around everywhere you go is not a safe thing to do; you'd better keep it inside the hotel safe instead. For your identification, bring the photocopy of the passport and your driving license inside your wallet. This is a better way to prevent identity theft.

What You Don't Know About Computers May Get Your Identity Stolen

With the recent hacking of social sites, and the traumatic experiences that are in my book about identity theft and identity fraud, gives me even more reason to pause. Our privacy has been compromised for years. Yet, no one actually takes the time to really listen to what is "really" being said. If our information is stolen, we do not know how many people the thief actually sells our information to and what happens after the sale.

Working in the financial industry for many years, I witnessed the exact same situations. My clients, and with people who didn't become my clients. They said, "Oh, it will never happen to me." Many of these people would tell me God would take care of them. Had it ever occurred to these people, that working through my services, was God's way of helping these folks?

After leaving the financial industry, and I left because of my own identity theft, my lessons of life escalated. I myself never thought that I would be the target of identity thief. Yet, it happened to me. While alone and in trauma, I learned everything possible about the computer, and also how the Phantoms (as I have named them in my book), not only target people online but also offline as well.

Can it happen to anyone. Yes it can. Identity Theft is a stigma that is difficult to overcome. With retirement funds stolen, reputation ruined, bank accounts depleted, and credit cards appearing one after the other, security codes from the banks fraud department breached, targeted people experience a depth of betrayal that can result in a lifetime of work to gain trust, and feel secure.

But trust can return. It's not easy and it takes time. Learning to protect our identity is work. There are many habits we have (especially here in America) that need to be broken, and new habits learned. Example using Debit Cards with pin numbers, even at the ATM. This convenience is a habit that can lead to identity theft. The list can seem endless. But learning the list of ways to protect ourselves is not nearly as endless as the repercussions of the theft.

We must learn to place our lives in God's blessings and miracles network. The is a network where we can truly find safety and security. Many people proclaim to be strong believers, yet it is only lip service. Our identity is unique. No one else is exactly like us. When we lose our financial or professional identity, we many times leave our spirit stark naked and ready for the Phantoms to clothe us in depression, hurt, anger, and lack of trust; especially trusting God. This was my lesson to learn. And it did take a few years. Now, with lessons learned, I can take that trauma and teach other people how to not let it happen to them, and if it does happen to them, how to overcome and start over. But it's difficult to teach an ostrich with his head in the sand.

Stay Organized and Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Every year, thousands of people are made victims by identity theft. Modern telecommunications devices and computer processing can make it easier for us to stay in touch and process transactions, yet they can also make it easier for criminals to get hold of valuable information.

Be it paper or digital, preventing the wrong element from getting a hold of information they can use to steal from you and others, is important.

Imagine your children's information being used to establish credit cards and loans before they are even old enough to work. Imaging your identity stolen and your credit rating trashed for bad debt that someone else created for you. Worse yet, imagine being arrested for crimes you never committed.

In doing some research on the topic, these are just some of the scenarios I found that identity theft victims have had to live through.

Your safety is my concern, and so in order to prevent any one of these stories from ever being yours, today I offer some tips on identity theft prevention to help you protect yourself, your loved ones, and your business.

Common ways to protect yourself:

Paperwork One easy first step to helping prevent someone from getting a hold of your private details is to invest in a paper shredder. Expect to spend $30.00 - $100.00 depending on what your volume of shredding may be. Shred personal information, credit card and debit card receipts, pre-approved credit applications etc. Cross cut shredders that can handle full sheets of paper make shredding easy and effective.

You can also bring your papers to service providers who make it their business to shred your docs on site. Some will even come to you, should you have a significant amount of documentation to destroy.

Around Town When using your debit and credit cards, watch who is standing around you. Guard your pin number from prying eyes. Also, try not to carry extra credit cards you don't use. That goes for cards like you Social Insurance Number too. Better to leave that in a safe at home if you can.

For added security for your credit cards, cover up the 3 digit code on the back too. Memorize those numbers or write it down in a secret place somewhere separate from the card. That way you won't be sharing that code to everyone you hand your credit card too. I personally got stung on this one not long ago.

At the Mail Box When ordering checks, have them delivered to your local bank instead of to your home. If getting new cards mailed to you, watch that they come on time. If you suspect it's late call the card company to see when it was mailed. If too much time has passed, have the card canceled. Same can go for your bills too.

On-Line Secure your computer with anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware programs. Have a firewall set up and when shopping on-line be sure that the site you are providing your private details to, is secure.

Set clever passwords for your on-line accounts. Combo's of letters and numbers is best. Don't use things like your mother maiden name or the city you were born in.

Personal Information Unless you initiated the call yourself, do not give out personal information over the phone. Keep in mind too that there is technology available to monitor cell phone calls, so use a land-line if you can when you are going to give personal information over the phone. And another tip is to keep your phone number or social security number off of your personal checks.

Some key information that you should be diligent in protecting would be, your full name, date of birth, address, credit card numbers, Social Insurance Number (SIN) and any other personal identification numbers that could be used to open accounts, redirect mail, establish cell phone services, rent vehicles or even secure employment.

Stay Safe!

Why an Identity Theft Defense Attorney Is So Vital

If you have been accused of taking someone else's personal information, you need to know that it is vital that you hire an identity theft defense attorney. Whether or not you are guilty, these are very serious accusations and carry strict penalties and fines. In fact, this is considered a federal offense, and thus you need a lawyer with experience in federal crimes.

Not just any criminal lawyer will do, either. You need one specifically who has experience in this area. You are facing loss of liberty and money, and you need a lawyer who understands this very detailed area of the law.

Thefts of identities are becoming more and more common as the Internet gradually becomes engrained in our society. However, the fact that this crime is very common does not make it less serious in the eyes of the courts. Cyber crimes, including these types of thefts of personal information, leave a nasty trail behind, making it harder for attorneys to fight for their clients in these cases. This is why it is so vital to have one who understands the nature of the crime as well as the laws that surround computer crimes.

Because these thefts typically involve commerce, which is overseen on a federal level, the crime you are being accused of is one that will be prosecuted in federal courts. Not all lawyers have experience in these courts. An identity theft defense attorney will.

Even if you are guilty of wrongdoing, and you know it, you can still benefit from legal help. Often the charges are inflated over the facts involved in the case. People are strongly fearful of this particular crime, and as a result the court system tends to make more out of what you have done than what is warranted. Your lawyer will help bring the charges down to a more reasonable level, so you can benefit from his services to protect your liberty after your alleged crime.

As you look for an identity theft defense attorney, start by looking for one that has a long list of successful cases in this specific area of the law. The more success the lawyer has under his belt, the better your results will likely be, and the more understanding the lawyer will have about the laws surrounding your particular crime.

That said, identity theft defense is a fairly new area of the law. For this reason, experience may not mean a list of hundreds of successful cases. You want a lawyer who knows this branch of the law well, but set your expectations at a reasonable level to ensure that you get quality representation, without expecting too much experience in a new branch of the law.